The staff at Johnson’s Mills Shorebird Reserve, just outside of Dorchester, N.B., are seeing a spike in shorebird numbers.
They have already recorded over 100,000 shorebirds in a day this year.
Assistant Manager Jordan Myles said in an interview on Saturday that’s more than double the numbers they recorded last year.
“It was 35,000 last year and the year before that it was 20,000, but the numbers that we are seeing now are what we typically expect so it appears the low numbers last year were actually a fluke rather than an increase this year,” she said.
She said it’s hard to say why there were such low numbers for the past two years.
“More than likely, the birds frequented other areas in the Bay of Fundy such as Mary’s Points. There’s Daniel’s Flats down by Hopewell Rocks, and they could have also gone to Grand-Pré in Nova Scotia so they will really go anywhere in the upper Bay of Fundy where there are mud flats.”
The birds typically come to the Bay of Fundy in August to double their weight while feeding on the mud flats before migrating to South America for the winter. Though the birds aren’t endangered, staff at the reserve monitor their numbers each year, as the number of shorebirds has been declining since the 1970s.
“We monitor for disturbances, we make sure that the birds have a chance to rest on the beach at high tide. It’s the only time that they have a chance to rest, other than that they are out feeding on the mudflats,” Myles said.
Avid bird watchers like Karl Phillips flocked to the reserve on Saturday.
“Seeing one hundred thousand shorebirds in one go it’s wonderful. It’s natural wealth, a grand spectacle. It’s a great privilege to see that,” he said.
Bird watchers can come see the flock until their departure in early September, but are encouraged to keep their distance and lower their voices during their visit.